Content warning: This article contains depictions of alleged sexual assault.
Hall of Fame tight end and ESPN personality Shannon Sharpe was accused of sexual assault and battery in a lawsuit filed Sunday, according to Pro Football Talk and USA Today.
The woman filed the lawsuit under the alias "Jane Doe." In it, Sharpe, 56, is accused of sexually assaulting the woman multiple times over a two-year "rocky consensual relationship," Pro Football Talk and People reported. The woman is seeking $50 million in damages.
The woman claimed she met Sharpe in a Los Angeles gym in 2023. She was 22 at the time. She claimed Sharpe made multiple advances before she decided to engage in a relationship. Sharpe reportedly asked the woman to sign a non-disclosure agreement before they met up, but dropped that when the woman pushed back on the request, per People.
The lawsuit details multiple instances in which Sharpe is accused of threats and sexual assault. The woman also claimed Sharpe recorded their sexual encounters without her consent, according to People.
"A woman can say 'yes' to consensual sexual relations with a man ninety-nine times, but when she says 'no' even once, that 'no' means no," the complaint states. "Defendant Shannon Sharpe, a man who is accustomed to getting what he wants, completely fails to understand this basic concept."
Sharpe is also accused of berating the woman and threatening to kill her after she arrived late at his house one day.
Both Sharpe and the woman moved to Nevada separately in 2024. In September 2024, Sharpe accidentally live-streamed a sexual encounter with an unidentified woman. The camera did not capture the encounter, but audio could be heard. Sharpe initially claimed he was hacked before admitting he accidentally left his camera on during the encounter.
The woman involved in the live stream is not the woman suing Sharpe. The incident caused Doe to "pull away" from Sharpe.
A month later, Sharpe allegedly forced Doe into a car and forced her into her apartment. Once there, the woman claimed Sharpe forced her to perform oral sex and then anally raped her.
The woman also detailed a January encounter in which she claimed Sharpe sexually assaulted her while refusing to wear a condom.
The woman is being represented by attorney Tony Buzbee, who also represented multiple women who accused Cleveland Browns quarterback DeShaun Watson of sexual misconduct.
Sharpe played for the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens during his 14-year NFL career. He won three Super Bowl titles, made eight Pro Bowls and was a four-time All-Pro. That performance earned Sharpe induction into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2011.
Sharpe, who signed a contract extension with ESPN last June, also hosts a popular podcast called "Club Shay Shay."
